The war raging in Gaza has rightly generated a lot of ink in recent weeks. In the newspapers, on the radio or even in class, children are also exposed to this conflict, to the horrors it underlies and to the debates it provokes, without always understanding all of its subtleties. To answer their questions, explain to them without frightening them and support them in their awareness, nothing beats… reading.
Duty to remember, consequences of conflicts, realities of displaced children, exiles, refugees, witnesses and victims… In recent years, literary production intended for young people has been punctuated by reflection on war, its roots and its impacts. However, transposing these stories of adults into words and images requires skill, sensitivity and confidence.
In The yellow butterfly (Comme des jardins 2023), a sublime album entirely devoid of text, Ukrainian illustrator Oleksandr Shatokhin chooses the path of hope. A child, confronted with the horror of the war in Ukraine, follows a vibrant butterfly which, with a stroke of its wings, transforms the rubble into promises. In a series of poignant frescoes, barbed wire becomes stars, shells transform into trees, and craters caused by bombing fade away in front of playgrounds and the laughter of children.
“I fell in love with this album which evokes the war without situating it, and which leaves room for interpretation,” says Nadine Robert, president and co-founder of Comme des Géants editions. It proves that despite the horrors, beauty persists. For me, this book is also a way of building a bridge between Quebec society and the Ukrainian community, of telling them that we do not forget what is happening and, perhaps, of encouraging a form of empathy . »
A book for every question
This symbolic evocation of war – which allows adults to choose what they will tell and explain, but also lets the child decipher based on their own experiences, knowledge and sensitivities – is at the heart of several works addressed to the young audience. In addition to awakening a form of awareness of the other, these stories bring the notion of conflict to the reader’s level.
This is particularly the case for the album The wall (De La Martinière, 2020), by Caroline Fait, which features two friends whose ordinary lives collide with the big story. Following an argument that temporarily puts their friendship in jeopardy, the boys are surprised to see, in the morning, a wall erected in the middle of their town, separating them for good.
“I imagined this book a few years ago, when Trump was constantly talking about his wall project with Mexico,” explains the author. The anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall was also coming up. I wanted to evoke all these symbolic barriers which are omnipresent throughout the world, in Korea, Morocco, Israel and elsewhere, and testify to the fragility of our societies. The wall, in my opinion, allows young people to feel the materiality of the conflict and to understand how it impacts everyday life, without falling into graphic descriptions. »
Once again, it is hope, and solidarity, that Caroline Fait wanted to invoke in her readers. “Conflicts have never prevented exchanges or friendships. Right now, when we talk to children about the wars that are shaking the world, I think it is important to bring them back to the humanity behind, to remind them that as individuals, there are ways to escape to this great story, to try to understand the other and take a step towards them. »
For every question raised by a child, there is a work. In Everything war hates (Rue du monde, 2023), Ximo Abadia illustrates with metaphorical images in red and black the threats weighing on artists and freedom of expression. Alone (La courte scale, 2022), by Paul Tom and Mélanie Baillairgé, tells the story of adolescents who arrived without an adult at the Canadian border to apply for refugee status. With Under the same moon (HongFei cultures, 2023), Jimmy Liao addresses the languor and anguish of little Han, whose father has gone to the front. Isabelle Rossignol, for her part, uses in the children’s novel We do thehas peace? (High Talents, 2023) schoolyard conflicts as a metaphor for war and thus responds to several concerns.
“An informed child is a less anxious child”
Media aimed at young people is also an invaluable tool for parents and teachers. The Aces of Info, a French-speaking popular news site for children aged 8 to 12, offers rich and adapted content to help better understand the Israel-Hamas war. In addition to weekly reports, the platform breaks down certain concepts – blockades, hostage-taking – and offers reflections on the repetition of conflicts, as well as advice from a psychologist.
“The challenge is to determine which information is relevant for children, and which is better to leave aside,” explains Ève Tessier-Bouchard, director of As. “Our goal is to help them acquire the basics and to decode the information to which they are likely to be exposed. We constantly call on our network – psychologists, philosophers, grief professionals – to choose our words carefully and respect the readers’ journey. An informed child is a less anxious child. »
Laurence Morency-Guay, doctoral candidate in educational psychology, agrees. “Children often hear about war in an adult format, with abstract concepts that they are not able to understand. As parents, we don’t have to answer their questions. If they come to us, however, it is in our interest to correct the way in which they interpreted the horrors and the policies at stake. If they are able to ask the question, they are able to understand an appropriate answer. It is also important to reinforce the feeling of security by emphasizing the fact that we are privileged to live in a peaceful country. »
For the expert, books and media intended for a youth audience are ideal for responding to children’s concerns and better informing them. “For any complex question, there is a book that allows us to get our heads around it and show our child that their questions are important, and that it is essential to answer them. »